Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Talent Act
Sponsored By: Senator Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced
Summary
Attracting and retaining top AI and critical-technology talent. This bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Secretary of State, to publish within 180 days a whole-of-government strategy to align immigration, education, and industry policies to strengthen U.S. leadership in AI while protecting national security.
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- Immigrant founders and foreign-trained researchers: The strategy would assess how current immigration rules affect entrepreneurship and scaling of new technologies and would include legislative recommendations such as creating a visa class for entrepreneurs in AI and quantum fields and revising the H-1B registration, lottery, and cap to better attract talent.
- Domestic students and workers: The plan would evaluate ways to retain U.S.-trained foreign nationals, promote skills transfer to U.S. citizens, and support apprenticeships and joint ventures to develop domestic technical capacity.
- Agencies and industry partners: It would require a competitive barriers analysis, talent identification mechanisms, risk-based national security vetting, measurable benchmarks like processing times and retention, and a DHS implementation report due 2 years after the strategy is submitted.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
National AI talent strategy and review
If enacted, the Secretary of Homeland Security would publish a national plan within 180 days to attract, admit, and retain AI and related tech talent. The plan would go to Congress in unclassified form (a classified annex is allowed) and must assess immigration barriers, effects on entrepreneurship and commercialization, and ways to keep foreign nationals trained in the U.S. It would study a talent‑identification body with five‑year demand projections, require risk‑based vetting to protect sensitive technologies, and set metrics like processing times and retention outcomes. The plan could recommend administrative changes, including possible revisions to H‑1B registration, lottery, and caps and a potential entrepreneur visa. Not later than two years after the plan is submitted, the Secretary would publish an implementation report describing actions taken and progress against the plan. The bill would only mandate planning and reporting and would not itself change immigration laws or appropriate funds.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]
SD • R
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov